Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge
Location:
Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge is situated in the western section of Madikwe Game Reserve, just 3 and a half hour’s drive from Johannesburg on the N4 and only 20km from Gaberone. The lodge is accessible from the Wonderboom Gate.
About the Lodge:
Buffalo Ridge Lodge is an unfenced lodge perched on the Tweedepoort Ridge with stunning views overlooking the plains and Inselbergs below.
The rustic feel and atmosphere of the lodge is great and we found it to be both relaxing and comfortable.
The lodge walls are adorned with old photos from the local rural community, who own Buffalo Ridge Lodge.....
A new chapter begins for Buffalo Ridge Lodge as they reopen after a complete refurbishment.
The transformation includes: the main lodge area, dining area, all the suites and the boma.
The main lodge is located on two tiers of the ridge. Accessed via a wooden bridge that crosses a ravine surrounded by rock figs.
Each living area in the main lodge has its own character, with beautiful views that stretch to the horizon....
stairs from the reception area lead down to a large comfy lounge, there is a feeling of openness and being at one with nature.
The viewing deck and on the second level is the inside dining area and wooden deck with outside seating…
what a view from this point. The large open deck off the inside dining area, allows you to see what is coming over the hills while you enjoy your meals.
Up a few more steps, you will find one of the two bomas, this is the smaller boma that caters for smaller groups....
The second boma is behind the lodge and close to suite #2
just up a few more steps you will find the swimming pool with a fantastic view over the veld.
Food & Drink:
The food at Buffalo Ridge is 5-star!! Every meal was delicious, well presented and served with a smile!
Josephine did a superb job; we had tomato and olive phyllo pastry tart, rack of lamb with couscous and vegetables then a delicious desert of cream caramel.
Most of our meals were either in the dining area or in the smaller boma.
Each night the dinner is served at a different venue but the boma tends to be the most popular with guests.
Breakfast was just as good and I must say we loved their home made muesli – one of the best we have tasted! A hot breakfast of eggs, mushrooms, bacon, sausage, tomato, toast, tea and coffee can also be ordered.
Accommodation:
When we arrived at our suite, we were welcomed by a family of klipspringer. They drank from the water overflow outside our suite.
a pathway leads from the main lodge building to the uniquely designed and decorated thatch suites....
The spacious suites have an open bedroom with either twin or king-size beds, air-conditioning, ceiling fan, tea and coffee machines, a fully stocked mini bar and dressing table.
the sliding doors lead from both the bedroom and shower onto a large veranda, offering a very private and luxurious experience with some great views.
the view from our bed at suite number 3
All the suites have spacious bathrooms.....
each en suite bathroom has a free standing bath.....
plus an indoor and outdoor shower.... all with a view!
The suites are widely spread out for total privacy…. number 8 maybe a fair walk from the main building but has a fabulous uninterrupted view.
Activities:
The baboons often come for a visit, they like to sit in the rafters and watch the guests.
Buffalo Ridge Lodge has a small waterhole, you can see it from the wooden deck off the dining area, but sadly there was not much water in it when we were there so not many animals came down to drink just the klipspringers.
You can also relax round the swimming pool, the views from here are magnificent.
There are loads of interesting things to photograph round the lodge.....
There are two game drives per day, a morning and afternoon/evening drive in open game-viewing vehicles....
with a coffee break in the morning and sun downers in the bush for the afternoon drive.
Sightings:
We had some nice sightings of the Big-5, but sadly no great photographs of the 2 leopards as these guys seem to be camera shy.
We also got some stunning landscapes while on our drives...
The lodge is unfenced so we had Leopard spoor all the way down our path to our chalet, bumped into a buffalo bull on our way back from dinner and had a spotted hyena dashed across our path the one morning!
You can see more images on our2024 Buffalo Ridge Trip Report page.
Thank you to the Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge team for 5-star food and great service!
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